Method and system for location-based dynamic radio selection

ABSTRACT

A multi-radio mobile device comprises a plurality of different radios. When a location update occurs, the multi-radio mobile device, at a specific location, acquires location-based radio information from a remote location server. The multi-radio mobile device selects a radio for use in the specific location based on the acquired location-based radio information comprising available radios in the specific location and radio weights. The radio is selected from the available radios based on the radio weights in the specific location. Transmissions of a desired service are received in the specific location utilizing the selected radio. Location-based radio measurements reports to the remote location server are generated utilizing signal strength measurements for the received signals. Radio quality information of the available radios is calculated by the location server utilizing location-based radio measurement reports from associated users. The radio weights of the available radios are determined based on the calculated radio quality information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 12/722,408, filed Mar. 11, 2010, which claims priority to and claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/304,240, filed Feb.12, 2010, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This application also makes reference to:

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/729,202, filed Mar. 22, 2010; and

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/729,208, filed Mar. 22, 2010.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to communication systems.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for location-based dynamic radio selection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Next generation mobile networks will utilize several different radioaccess technologies such as, for example, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS),wireless local area networks (WLAN), Bluetooth networks and WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) networks integrated toform a heterogeneous wireless access network system. Different radioaccess networks provide different levels of capacity and coverage to endusers. A wide variety of services are delivered to end users over theheterogeneous wireless access network system using different radioaccess technologies. The utilization of the heterogeneous wirelessaccess network system assures end users enhanced network connection anywhere any time so as to improve the quality of service.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention asset forth in the remainder of the present application with reference tothe drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and/or system for location-based dynamic radio selection,substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at leastone of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system thatis operable to support location-based dynamic radio selection, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-radio mobiledevice that is operable to perform location-based dynamic radioselection, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary location server thatis operable to provide location-based radio information to users, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for generating alocation-based radio measurement report by a multiradio mobile device,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for trackinglocation-based radio measurements to build reference database by alocation server, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for performinglocation-based dynamic radio selection, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a method and systemfor location-based dynamic radio selection. In various embodiments ofthe invention, a multi-radio mobile device that comprises a plurality ofdifferent radios such as a WLAN radio and a WiMAX radio may be operableto perform a location-based dynamic radio selection. For example, ininstances where a location update occurs, the multi-radio mobile deviceat a specific location may acquire corresponding location-based radioinformation from a remote location server. The multi-radio mobile devicemay select, from the plurality of different radios, a radio that is tobe utilized at the specific location based on the acquiredlocation-based radio information. The acquired location-based radioinformation comprises available radios in the specific location andcorresponding radio weights. The radio may be selected from theavailable radios based on the corresponding radio weights in thespecific location.

Transmissions of a desired service may be received by the multi-radiomobile device at the specific location utilizing the selected radio.Signal strength of the received transmissions may be measured at thespecific location. A location-based radio measurement report on theselected radio may be generated utilizing the signal strengthmeasurements, information on the selected radio, and information on thespecific location of the multi-radio mobile device. The generatedlocation-based radio measurement report may be communicated to theremote location server to build or refine a reference location-database.The location server may be operable to track or receive a plurality oflocation related information such as location-based radio measurementreports corresponding to the specific location of the multi-radio mobiledevice from a plurality of users such as mobile devices. Radio qualityinformation such as uncertainty levels or reliability levels of theavailable radios in the specific location of the multi-radio mobiledevice may be calculated by the location server utilizing the receivedplurality of location-based radio measurement reports. The correspondingradio weights of the available radios in the specific location may bedetermined based on the calculated radio quality information.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system thatis operable to support location-based dynamic radio selection, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1,there is shown a communication system 100. The communication system 100comprises served areas 110 a-110 c, a plurality of multi-radio mobiledevices, of which multi-radio mobile devices 112-116 are illustrated, aheterogeneous network system 120, a location server 130 comprising areference database 132, a satellite reference network (SRN) 140 and aGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) satellite infrastructure 150.The heterogeneous network system 120 comprises a plurality of differentradio access networks, of which a WLAN 121, a Bluetooth network 122, aCDMA network 123, a UMTS network 124 and a WiMAX network 125 areillustrated.

The multi-radio mobile devices 112-116 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, interfaces and/or code that are operable to communicate radiofrequency signals with a plurality of mobile communication accessnetworks such as, for example, the WLAN 121, the Bluetooth network 122,the CDMA network 123, the UMTS network 124 and/or the WiMAX network 125.Depending on device capabilities, a multi-radio mobile device such asthe multi-radio mobile device 112 may be operable to utilize one or moreradios such as a WLAN radio and a cellular radio to communicate withcorresponding radio sites to receive a desired service. Radio sites, asused herein, of a specific radio access network comprises one or morebase stations or access points. An appropriate radio such as a WLANradio may be selected from a set of available radios for the receptionof the desired service.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the multi-radio mobiledevice 112 may be operable to measure signal strength on the selectedradio. The signal strength measurements may be carried out on theselected radio at various locations over a period of time. In thisregard, a location of the multi-radio mobile device 112 may bedetermined in response to corresponding signal strength measurements forthe selected radio. The signal strength measurements at the determinedlocation of the multi-radio mobile device 112 may vary according tocorresponding radio selection information. The radio selectioninformation may comprise information related to, for example, whichradio access network is selected and which radio site, base station oraccess point, may be utilized by the multi-radio mobile device 112 atthe determined location. In this regard, the multi-radio mobile device112 may be operable to utilize the determined location to location stampthe radio selection information and corresponding signal strengthmeasurements to generate a location-based radio measurement report. Thegenerated location-based radio measurement report may be communicated tothe location server 130 to build the reference database 132.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, radio information suchas, for example, available radios and/or radio quality information suchas uncertainty or reliability levels of the available radios may vary atdifferent locations. In this regard, the multi-radio mobile device 112may be operable to acquire location-based radio information from thelocation server 130, for example, whenever a location update occurs. Inan exemplary embodiment of the invention, in instances where themulti-radio mobile device 112 is travelling from a location in theserved area 110 a into a location in the served area 110 b, themulti-radio mobile device 112 may be operable to acquire location-basedradio information with respect to the location in the served area 110 bfrom the location server 130. The acquired location-based radioinformation may be utilized by the multi-radio mobile device 112 todetermine which radios and radio sites may be selected for use in thelocation in the served area 110 b to support a desired service. Forexample, the multi-radio mobile device 112 may select a radio site of anavailable radio having the highest radio reliability level or the lowestradio uncertainty level over the available radios in the location in theserved area 110 b.

The heterogeneous network system 120 may comprise suitable devices,circuitry, interfaces and/or code that are operable to provide radioconnections between a wireless mobile device such as the multi-radiomobile device 112 and a selected radio site of an appropriate wirelessradio communication system or radio network according to usage and/ormobility status of the multi-radio mobile device 112. Different radioaccess technologies may be utilized in the heterogeneous network system120 to provide the multi-radio mobile device 112 with an access to adesired service. In particular, the heterogeneous network system 120 maybe operable to support a location-based dynamic radio selection atassociated users such as the multi-radio mobile device 112 to optimizeradio usage on the multi-radio mobile device 112.

The WLAN 121 may comprise suitable devices, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that are operable to provide data services to various wireless LANenabled communication devices such as the multi-radio mobile device 112using wireless LAN technology. Exemplary wireless LAN technology maycomprise, for example, IEEE Standard 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11d,802.11e, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11v, and/or 802.11u. The WLAN 121comprises a plurality of WLAN access points such as WLAN access points(APs) 121 a through 121 c. The WLAN 121 may be operable to communicatevarious data services such as a location-based service (LBS) over WLANconnections between the WLAN APs 121 a through 121 c and correspondingWLAN capable devices such as, for example, the multi-radio mobile device112. In this regard, signal strength of signals that are communicatedvia WLAN connections between the multi-radio mobile device 112, at aspecific location, and a WLAN AP such as the WLAN AP 121 a may bemeasured by the multi-radio mobile device 112. Radio quality informationsuch as uncertainty or reliability levels in the specific location withregard to the WLAN AP 121 a may be evaluated or determined by thelocation server 130. The location of the WLAN AP 121 a may be determinedfor location-based application such as location-based access control onthe WLAN AP 121 a. The signal strength measurements in the specificlocation on transmissions from the WLAN AP 121 a, location informationof the WLAN AP 121 a, and radio quality information in the specificlocation with regard to the WLAN AP 121 a may be collected or tracked bythe location server 130. The location server 130 may be operable toshare the collected information among a plurality of users such as themulti-radio mobile devices 112-116 to support location-based radioselection.

The Bluetooth network 122 may comprise suitable devices, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to provide data services tovarious Bluetooth enabled mobile devices such as the multi-radio mobiledevice 112 using Bluetooth technology. Exemplary Bluetooth technologymay comprise, for example, IEEE Standard IEEE 802.15 WPAN and/or IEEE802.15.4. The Bluetooth network 122 comprises a plurality of Bluetoothaccess points such as Bluetooth access points 122 a through 122 c. TheBluetooth network 122 may be operable to communicate various dataservices such as a location-based service (LBS) over Bluetoothconnections between, for example, the multi-radio mobile device 112 anda Bluetooth access point (AP) such as the Bluetooth AP 122 a. In thisregard, signal strength of signals that are communicated via Bluetoothconnections between the multi-radio mobile device 112, at a specificlocation, and a Bluetooth AP such as the Bluetooth AP 122 a may bemeasured by the multi-radio mobile device 112. Radio quality informationsuch as uncertainty or reliability levels in the specific location withregard to the Bluetooth AP 122 a may be evaluated or determined by thelocation server 130. The location of the Bluetooth AP 122 a may bedetermined for location-based application such as location-based accesscontrol on the Bluetooth AP 122 a. The signal strength measurements, ata specific location, of signals communicated by the Bluetooth AP 122 a,location information of the Bluetooth AP 122 a, and radio qualityinformation at the specific location with regard to the Bluetooth AP 122a may be collected or tracked by the location server 130. The locationserver 130 may be operable to share the collected information among aplurality of users such as the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116 tosupport location-based radio selection.

The CDMA network 123 may comprise suitable devices, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to provide data services tovarious CDMA enabled mobile devices such as the multi-radio mobiledevice 112 using CDMA technology. The CDMA network 123 comprises aplurality of base stations such as base stations 123 a through 123 b.The CDMA network 123 may be operable to communicate various dataservices such as a location-based service (LBS) over CDMA connectionsbetween, for example, the multi-radio mobile device 112 and a CDMA basestation such as the base station 123 a. In this regard, signal strengthof signals that are communicated via COMA connections between themulti-radio mobile device 112, at a specific location, and a CDMA basestation such as the base station 123 a may be measured by themulti-radio mobile device 112. Radio quality information such asuncertainty or reliability levels in the specific location with regardto the base station 123 a may be evaluated or determined by the locationserver 130. The location of the base station 123 a may be determined forlocation-based application such as location-based access control on thebase station 123 a. The signal strength measurements, at a specificlocation, of signals communicated by the base station 123 a, locationinformation of the base station 123 a, and radio quality information inthe specific location with regard to the base station 123 a may becollected or tracked by the location server 130. The location server 130may be operable to share the collected information among a plurality ofusers such as the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116 to supportlocation-based radio selection.

The UMTS network 124 may comprise suitable devices, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to provide data services tovarious UMTS enabled mobile devices such as the multi-radio mobiledevice 112 using UMTS technology. The UMTS network 124 comprises aplurality of base stations such as base stations 124 a through 124 b.The UMTS network 124 may be operable to communicate various dataservices such as a location-based service (LBS) over UMTS connectionsbetween, for example, the multi-radio mobile device 112 and a UMTS basestation such as the base station 124 a. In this regard, signal strengthof signals that are communicated via UMTS connections between themulti-radio mobile device 112, at a specific location, and a UMTS basestation such as the base station 124 a may be measured by themulti-radio mobile device 112. Radio quality information such asuncertainty or reliability levels at the specific location with regardto the base station 124 a may be evaluated or determined by the locationserver 130. The location of the base station 124 a may be determined forlocation-based application such as location-based access control on thebase station 124 a. The signal strength measurements, at the specificlocation, of signals communicated by the base station 124 a, locationinformation of the base station 124 a, and radio quality information atthe specific location with regard to the base station 124 a may becollected or tracked by the location server 130. The location server 130may be operable to share the collected information among a plurality ofusers such as the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116 to supportlocation-based radio selection.

The WiMAX network 125 may comprise suitable devices, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to provide data services tovarious WiMAX enabled mobile devices such as the multi-radio mobiledevice 112 using WiMAX technology. The WiMAX network 125 comprises aplurality of WiMAX base stations such as base stations 125 a through 125b. The WiMAX network 125 may be operable to communicate various dataservices such as a location-based service (LBS) over WiMAX connectionsbetween, for example, the multi-radio mobile device 112 and a WiMAX basestation such as the base station 125 a. In this regard, signal strengthof signals that are communicated via WiMAX connections between themulti-radio mobile device 112, at a specific location, and a WiMAX basestation such as the base station 125 a may be measured by themulti-radio mobile device 112. Radio quality information such asuncertainty or reliability levels in the specific location with regardto the base station 125 a may be evaluated or determined by the locationserver 130. The location of the base station 125 a may be determined forlocation-based application such as location-based access control on thebase station 125 a. The signal strength measurements, at a specificlocation, for signals communicated by the base station 125 a, locationinformation of the base station 125 a, and radio quality information inthe specific location with regard to the base station 125 a may becollected or tracked by the location server 130. The location server 130may be operable to share the collected information among a plurality ofusers such as the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116 to supportlocation-based radio selection.

The location server 130 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that are operable to access the satellitereference network (SRN) 140 to collect GNSS satellite data by trackingGNSS constellations through the SRN 140. The location server 130 may beoperable to utilize the collected GNSS satellite data to generate GNSSassistance data comprising, for example, ephemeris data, LTO data,reference positions and/or time information. The location server 130 maybe operable to collect and/or retrieve location related information forassociated users. In this regard, the location server 130 may beoperable to collect or receive location-based radio measurement reportsfrom a plurality of users such as the multi-radio mobile devices112-116. A location-based radio measurement report received from, forexample, the multi-radio mobile device 112, may comprise informationsuch as location information of the multi-radio mobile device 112, aselected radio and corresponding signal strength measurements in thespecific location on the selected radio. In instances where a radio sitesuch as the base station 123 a in the CDMA network 123 is selected bythe multi-radio mobile device 112 at a specific location, radio qualityinformation such as uncertainty or reliability levels in the specificlocation with regard to the base station 123 a may be calculated by thelocation server 130 utilizing corresponding radio signal strengthmeasurements in the specific location on the base station 123. A radioweight in the specific location for the base station 123 a may bedetermined based on the calculated radio quality information. A radioweight provides a relative measure of radio quality. For example, alesser radio weight is ascribed to a radio with lower radio quality. Thecalculated radio quality information and/or the determined radio weightin the specific location for the base station 123 a may be stored in thereference database 132.

The location server 130 may be operable to provide radio informationsuch as radio quality information or radio weight for users according touser location information. For example, in instances where the locationserver 130 receives a radio information request from a user such as themulti-radio mobile device 112 for a specific location, the locationserver 130 may be operable to identify radios and corresponding radiosites, namely, base stations or access points, available to serve thespecific location and/or surrounding areas. Radio quality information orradio weights in the specific location with regard to the identifiedradio sites may be retrieved from the reference database 132.Information such as the identified available radios for the specificlocation, location information of the identified available radio sites,and/or the retrieved radio quality information or radio weights in thespecific location for the identified available radio sites may beutilized by the location server 130 to generate location-based radioinformation for the multi-radio mobile device 112 for the specificlocation. The generated location-based radio information may becommunicated to the multi-radio mobile device 112 to supportlocation-based radio selection.

The SRN 140 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that are operable to collect and/or distribute data for GNSSsatellites on a continuous basis. The SRN 140 may comprise a pluralityof GNSS reference tracking stations located around the world to provideassistant GNSS (A-GNSS) coverage all the time in both a home networkand/or any visited network.

The GNSS satellites 150 a through 150 b may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to generate andbroadcast satellite navigational information. The broadcast satellitenavigational information may be collected by the SRN 140 to be utilizedby the location server 130 to enhance LBS services. The GNSS satellites150 a through 150 b may comprise GPS, Galileo, and/or GLONASSsatellites.

In an exemplary operation, a multi-radio mobile device such as themulti-radio mobile device 112 may be operable to utilize an appropriateradio that is selected from a set of available radios to receive adesired service. Signal strength for the selected radio may be measuredby the multi-radio mobile device 112 at various locations over a periodof time. A location of the multi-radio mobile device 112 may bedetermined in response to corresponding signal strength measurements forthe selected radio. The signal strength measurements and associatedradio selection information such as radio access network selection andradio site selection may be location stamped utilizing the determinedlocation of the multi-radio mobile device 112 to generate alocation-based radio measurement report. The generated location-basedradio measurement report may be provided to the location server 130 tobuild the reference database 132. The location server 130 may beoperable to track location information of associated communicationdevices such as the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116, the basestations 123 a-123 c, and/or the Bluetooth access points 122 a-122 c.Radio quality information such as reliability levels or uncertaintylevels of various radios such as cellular radio and WLAN radio may beevaluated by the location server 130 with regard to locations ofinterest. For example, the location server 132 may be operable todetermine or calculate radio quality information of radios available ata specific location based on a plurality of received location-basedradio measurement reports for the specific location. Radio weights forthe available radios in the specific location may be determined based onthe corresponding calculated radio quality information. The determinedradio weights in the specific location may be stored in the referencedatabase 132. In instances where a request for radio information isreceived from, for example, the multi-radio mobile device 112 in thespecific location, the location server 130 may be operable tocommunicate with the reference database 132 to retrieve radioinformation related to the specific location. The retrievedlocation-based radio information may comprise radios available at thespecific location, location information of corresponding radio sitesserving the specific location and/or radio quality information for thespecific location. The location server 130 may be operable to providethe location-based radio information to the multi-radio mobile device112 for location-based radio selection. For example, the multi-radiomobile device 112 may be operable to select an available radio havingthe highest radio weight over the available radios in the specificlocation to support a desired service.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-radio mobiledevice that is operable to perform location-based dynamic radioselection, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referringto FIG. 2, there is shown a multi-radio mobile device 200. Themulti-radio mobile device 200 comprises a GNSS radio 202, a WLAN radio204, a Bluetooth radio 206, a cellular radio 208, a WiMAX radio 210, alocation radio database 212 and a memory 216.

The GNSS radio 202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to detect and receive GNSS signals froma plurality of visible GNSS satellites such as the GNSS satellite162-166. The GNSS radio 202 may be operable to utilize the received GNSSsignals to calculate navigation information such as a GNSS positionand/or a velocity of the GNSS radio 202. The calculated GNSS position ofthe GNSS radio 202 may be provided to the host processor 214 for variousapplications such as, for example, to location stamp signal strengthmeasurements for a selected radio.

The WLAN radio 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to receive and/or transmit radiofrequency signals using wireless LAN technology. The WLAN radio 204 maybe operable to transmit and/or receive radio frequency (RF) signals overWLAN connections between the multi-radio mobile device 200 and a WLAN APsuch as the WLAN AP 121 a. In this regard, RF signals received over theWLAN radio 202 may be communicated to the host processor 214 tocalculate or measure signal strength of the WLAN radio 202.

The Bluetooth radio 206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to receive and/or transmitradio frequency signals using Bluetooth technology. The Bluetooth radio206 may be operable to transmit and/or receive radio frequency (RF)signals over Bluetooth connections between the multi-radio mobile device200 and a Bluetooth AP such as the Bluetooth AP 122 a. In this regard,RF signals received over the Bluetooth radio 206 may be communicated tothe host processor 214 to calculate or measure signal strength of theBluetooth radio 206.

The cellular radio 208 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to receive and/or transmitradio frequency signals using various cellular technologies such as, forexample, CDMA, UMTS, GSM and/or LTE. The cellular radio 208 may beoperable to transmit and/or receive radio frequency (RF) signals overcellular radio connections between the multi-radio mobile device 200 anda cellular base station such as the base station 123 a in the CDMAnetwork 123. In this regard, RF signals received over the cellular radio208 may be communicated to the host processor 214 to calculate ormeasure signal strength of the cellular radio 208.

The WiMAX radio 210 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to receive and/or transmit radiofrequency signals using WiMAX technology. The WiMAX radio 210 may beoperable to transmit and/or receive radio frequency (RF) signals overWiMAX radio connections between the multi-radio mobile device 200 and aWiMAX base station such as the base station 125 a in the WiMAX network125. In this regard, RF signals received over the WiMAX radio 210 may becommunicated to the host processor 214 to calculate or measure signalstrength of the WiMAX radio 210.

The local radio database 212 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to record and store datarelated to local radio information. The stored data may comprise, forexample, signal strength measurements for selected radios, and radioselection information. The stored data may also comprise location-basedradio information such as, for example, available radios in variouslocations of the multi-radio mobile device 200, location information ofradio sites of the available radios, and/or radio quality information.The contents of the local radio database 212 may be utilized by themulti-radio mobile device 200 for location-based radio selection. Atleast a portion of the local radio database 212 may be communicated tothe location server 130 to build and/or refine the reference database132. The local radio database 212 may be updated or refined on an asneeded basis, aperiodically or periodically.

The host processor 214 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to manage and/or controloperations of associated device component units such as, for example,the GNSS radios 202, the cellular radio 208, and/or the local radiodatabase 212, depending on usages. For example, the host processor 214may be operable to activate or deactivate one or more associated radiossuch as the GNSS radio 202 on an as needed basis in order to save power.The host processor 214 may be configured to coordinate operations ofassociated device component units for particular applications. Dependingon device capabilities, the host processor 214 may be operable toutilize one or more radios such as the WLAN radio 204 and the cellularradio 208 to receive a desired service. In this regard, the hostprocessor 214 may select an appropriate radio from a set of availableradios for the reception of the desired service.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the host processor 214 maybe operable to measure signal strength on the selected radio such as theWLAN radio 204 utilizing signals received over the WLAN radio 204 from aWLAN AP such as the WLAN AP 121 a. The signal strength measurements maybe carried out on signals received over the WLAN radio 204 at variouslocations. In this regard, the host processor 214 may activate the GNSSradio 202 to determine location information of the multi-radio mobiledevice 200 corresponding to the signal strength measurements. The hostprocessor 214 may be operable to location stamp the signal strengthmeasurements and associated radio selection information utilizing thedetermined locations of the multi-radio mobile device 200. The resultinglocation-stamped information may be utilized by the host processor 214to generate a location-based radio measurement report. The generatedlocation-based radio measurement report may be communicated to thelocation server 130 to build the reference database 132.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, in instances where alocation update occurs, for example, the multi-radio mobile device 200is moving from an indoor location to an outdoor location, the hostprocessor 214 may be operable to send a radio information request to thelocation server 130 to acquire location-based radio information for theoutdoor location. The acquired location-based radio information maycomprise information such as, for example, what are the radios availablein the outdoor location, radio weights of the available radios in theoutdoor location, and/or location information of radio sites of theavailable radios in vicinity of the outdoor location. The host processor214 may be operable to utilize the acquired location-based radioinformation to determine which radios may be selected for use in theoutdoor location to support a desired service. The host processor 214may be operable to select an appropriate radio for the outdoor locationaccording to corresponding radio weights and device capabilities. Forexample, a cellular radio such as the cellular radio 208 that has thehighest radio weight over the available radios in the outdoor locationmay be selected to support the desired service in the outdoor location.

The memory 216 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to store information such as executableinstructions and data that may be utilized by the host processor 214and/or other associated component units such as, for example, the WLANradio 204 and the Bluetooth radio 206. The memory 216 may comprise RAM,ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or othersuitable electronic data storage.

In an exemplary operation, the host processor 214 may be operable tomanage and coordinate operations of the associated device units todynamically select appropriate radios for use based on the location ofthe multi-radio mobile device 200. In this regard, the host processor214 may be operable to monitor the performance of a selected radio suchas the cellular radio 208 by measuring signal strength on signalsreceived over the cellular radio 208. Corresponding location informationof the multi-radio mobile device 200 for the signal strengthmeasurements may be determined utilizing GNSS signals received over theGNSS radio 202. The signal strength measurements and associated radioselection information may be location stamped utilizing thecorresponding determined locations of the multi-radio mobile device 112to generate a location-based radio measurement report. The generatedlocation-based radio measurement report may be communicated to thelocation server over the cellular radio 208.

In instances where the multi-radio mobile device 200 is moving to aspecific location, for example, in the served area 110 b, the hostprocessor 214 may be operable to communicate the location server 130 forlocation-based radio information with regard to the specific location inthe served area 110 b. The acquired location-based radio information maybe utilized by the host processor 214 to determine an appropriate radiofor use in the specific location to support a desired service. Forexample, a radio may be selected for the specific location in the servedarea 110 b according to corresponding radio weights and devicecapabilities of the multi-radio mobile device 200.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary location server thatis operable to provide location-based radio information to users, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3,there is shown a location server 300. The location server 300 maycomprise a processor 302, a reference database 304 and a memory 306.

The processor 302 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to manage and/or control operations ofthe reference database 304 and the memory 306. The processor 302 may beoperable to communicate with the satellite reference network (SRN) 150so as to collect GNSS satellite data by tracking GNSS constellationsthrough the SRN 150. The processor 302 may be operable to utilize thecollected GNSS satellite data to build the reference database 304, whichmay be coupled internally or externally to the location server 300.

The processor 302 may be operable to collect and/or retrieve locationrelated information for associated users. In this regard, the processor302 may be operable to receive location-based radio measurement reportsfrom a plurality of users such as the multi-radio mobile devices112-116. The received location-based radio measurement reports maycomprise information such as locations of the multi-radio mobile devices112-116, associated radio selection and corresponding signal strengthmeasurements. The processor 302 may be operable to evaluate or determineradio quality information such as uncertainty or reliability levels invarious locations of the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116 utilizingthe corresponding signal strength measurements. Radio weights forselected radios may be calculated based on the determined location-basedradio quality information. The calculated radio weights may be stored inthe reference database 304.

Location-based radio quality information may be provided to usersaccording to user location information. For example, in instances wherethe processor 302 receives a radio information request from a user suchas the multi-radio mobile device 112 at a specific location, theprocessor 302 may be operable to identify radios and corresponding radiosites serving the specific location and/or surrounding areas.Location-based radio weights in the specific location may be retrievedwith regard to the identified radio sites from the reference database132. Location-based radio information such as, for example, theidentified available radios in the specific location, locationinformation of the identified radio sites, and/or the retrievedlocation-based radio weights for the identified radio sites may begenerated by the processor 302 to provide to the multi-radio mobiledevice 112 for location-based radio selection.

The memory 306 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to store information such as executableinstructions and data that may be utilized by the processor 302 and/orother associated component units such as, for example, the referencedatabase 304. The memory 306 may comprise RAM, ROM, low latencynonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronicdata storage.

In an exemplary operation, the processor 302 may be operable to tracklocation related information of associated users to build the referencedatabase 304. The processor 302 may be operable to collect and/orretrieve location related information such as location-based radiomeasurement reports from associated users. The received location-basedradio measurement reports may comprise information such as locations ofusers such as the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116, associated radioselection and corresponding signal strength measurements. The processor302 may be operable to determine location-based radio weights based onsignal strength measurements in the received location-based radiomeasurement reports. The determined location-based radio weights may bestored in reference database 304 so that it may be shared among theusers. In this regard, the processor 302 may be operable to providelocation-based radio information such as available radios andcorresponding radio weights to users according to user locationinformation. The location-based radio information may be communicatedto, for example, the multi-radio mobile device 112, to supportlocation-based radio selection.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for generating alocation-based radio measurement report by a multi-radio mobile device,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4,the exemplary steps may start with step 402. In step 402, a multi-radiomobile device such as the multi-radio mobile device 200 may be operableto receive transmissions of a desired service over a connection betweenthe multi-radio mobile device 112 and a radio site of a selected radio,for example, the base station 125 a in the WiMAX network 125. In step404, the host processor 214 may be operable to calculate signal strengthmeasurements for signals communicated by the WiMAX radio 210. In step406, the host processor 214 may be configured to activate the GNSS radio202 for GNSS signals from visible GNSS satellite such as the GNSSsatellites 162-166. The GNSS signals received over the GNSS radio 202may be utilized by the host processor 214 to calculate or determine alocation of the multi-radio mobile device 200 corresponding to thesignal strength measurements. In step 408, the host processor 214 may beoperable to generate a location-based radio measurement report utilizingthe determined location of the multi-radio mobile device 200, the signalstrength measurements and corresponding radio selection information. Instep 410, the host processor 214 may be operable to communicate thegenerated location-based radio signal strength measurement report to aremote location server such as the location server 300 to build orrefine the reference database 304.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for trackinglocation-based radio measurements to build reference database by alocation server, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 5, the exemplary steps may start with step 502. Instep 502, the location server 300 may be operable to collectlocation-based radio measurement reports from a plurality of users suchas the multi-radio mobile devices 112-116. The received location-basedradio measurement reports comprise information such as signal strengthmeasurements for specific radio sites and/or locations where the signalstrength measurements were performed. In step 504, the location server300 may be operable to identify locations of the specific radio sites.In step 506, the location server 300 may be operable to calculatelocation-based radio quality information such as uncertainty levels orreliability levels for the identified specific radio sites utilizingcorresponding signal strength measurements in the receivedlocation-based radio measurements reports. In step 508, the locationserver 300 may be operable to determine location-based radio weights forthe identified specific radio sites based on the calculatedlocation-based radio quality information. In step 510, the locationserver 300 may be operable to generate location-based radio informationfor an intended location of a multi-radio mobile device 200 such as themulti-radio mobile device 200. The generated location-based radioinformation comprises information such as, for example, available radiosin the intended location, location information of radio sites of theavailable radios in vicinity of the intended location, and/or radioweights in vicinity of the intended location for the radio sites of theavailable radios. In step 512, the location server 300 may be operableto communicate the generated location-based radio information tointended users when needed.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for performinglocation-based dynamic radio selection, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, the exemplary steps may startwith step 602. In step 602, a multi-radio mobile device such as themulti-radio mobile device 112 may be operable to receive transmissionsof a desired service. In instances where the multi-radio mobile device112 is moving to a different location such as a specific location withinthe served area 110 a, a request for location-based radio information inthe specific location in the served area 110 a may be sent to a remotelocation server such as the location server 130. The location-basedradio information request may comprise information such as the specificlocation in the served area 110 a and/or an identifier (ID) of themulti-radio mobile device 112. In step 604, upon receiving thelocation-based radio information request from the multi-radio mobiledevice 112, the location server 113 may be operable to identify a set ofradio sites serving the specific location in the served area 110 aaccording to the user ID in the received radio information request. Instep 606, the location server 113 may be operable to retrieve radioquality information for the identified set of radio sites serving thespecific location in the served area 110 a. In step 608, the locationserver 130 may be operable to communicate the generated location-basedradio information to the multi-radio mobile device 112. In step 610, themulti-radio mobile device 112 may be operable to select a radio sitebased on the location-based radio information received from the locationserver 130. In step 612, the multi-radio mobile device 112 may beoperable to receive transmissions of a desired service from the selectedradio site. The exemplary steps may end in step 614.

In various exemplary aspects of the method and system for location-baseddynamic radio selection, a multi-radio mobile device such as themulti-radio mobile device 200 may comprise a plurality of differentradios such as the WLAN radio 204 and the cellular radio 206. Themulti-radio mobile device 200 may be operable to perform alocation-based dynamic radio selection. For example, in instances wherea location update occurs, the multi-radio mobile device 200 may acquirecorresponding location-based radio information for a specific locationfrom a remote location server such as the location server 300. Themulti-radio mobile device 200 may be operable to select a radio, fromthe plurality of different radios, for use at the specific locationbased on the acquired location-based radio information. The acquiredlocation-based radio information comprises available radios at thespecific location and corresponding radio weights in the specificlocation for the available radios. An appropriate radio may be selectedby the multi-radio mobile device 200 from the available radios based onthe corresponding radio weights in the specific location. Themulti-radio mobile device 200 may be operable to receive, in thespecific location, transmissions of a desired service utilizing theselected radio. The signal strength of the received signals for thedesired service may be measured by the multi-radio mobile device 200 atthe specific location. As described with respect to FIG. 4, alocation-based radio measurement report for the selected radio may begenerated by the multi-radio mobile device 200 utilizing the signalstrength measurements in the specific location, information on theselected radio in the specific location, and information on the specificlocation of the multi-radio mobile device 200. The generatedlocation-based radio measurement report may be communicated to thelocation server 300 to build or refine the reference location-database304. The location server 300 may be operable to track or receive aplurality of location related information such as location-based radiomeasurement reports corresponding to the specific location of themulti-radio mobile device 200 from a plurality of mobile devices. Radioquality information such as uncertainty levels or reliability levels ofthe available radios in the specific location of the multi-radio mobiledevice 200 may be calculated by the location server 300 utilizing thereceived plurality of location-based radio measurement reports. Thecorresponding radio weights of the available radios in the specificlocation may be determined based on the calculated radio qualityinformation.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein forlocation-based dynamic radio selection.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware,software, or a combination of hardware and software. The presentinvention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind ofcomputer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computer system with a computerprogram that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computersystem such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for communication by a multi-radiomobile device, the multi-radio mobile device including a first radiodesignated for use with a first radio access technology and a secondradio designated for use with a second radio access technology, themethod comprising: wirelessly acquiring, from an external device,location-based radio information for a specific location of themulti-radio mobile device, the acquired location-based radio informationincluding radio weights corresponding to the first radio and the secondradio; and selecting the first radio or the second radio for use in thespecific location based on the radio weights of the acquiredlocation-based radio information, wherein the radio weights areindicative of a communication quality of corresponding available radioaccess technologies at the specific location, and wherein at least oneof the acquiring and selecting is performed by a processor.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting the firstradio access technology or the second radio access technology from theavailable radio access technologies based on the corresponding radioweights; and selecting a radio, from among the first radio and thesecond radio, whose radio access technology corresponds to the selectedradio access technology.
 3. The method according to claim 2, furthercomprising: receiving, at the specific location, signals of a desiredservice utilizing the selected radio; and measuring, at the specificlocation, signal strengths of the received signals of the desiredservice over the selected radio.
 4. The method according to claim 3,further comprising generating a location-based radio measurement reportfor the selected radio utilizing the signal strength measurements in thespecific location, information on the selected radio in the specificlocation, and information on the specific location of the multi-radiomobile device.
 5. The method according to claim 4, further comprisingreceiving a location update of the multi-radio mobile device from aremote location server.
 6. The method according to claim 5, furthercomprising communicating the generated location-based radio measurementreport to the remote location server.
 7. The method according to claim6, wherein the location-based radio information for the specificlocation is received from the remote location server.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 7, wherein the radio weights and the available radioaccess technologies of the location-based radio information isdetermined by the remote location server based on the generatedlocation-based radio measurement report.
 9. A system for communication,the system comprising: a multi-radio mobile device, including: a firstradio designated for use with a first radio access technology; a secondradio designated for use with a second radio access technology; and oneor more processors configured to: wirelessly acquire, from an externaldevice, location-based radio information for a specific location of themulti-radio mobile device, the acquired location-based radio informationincluding radio weights corresponding to the first radio and the secondradio; and select the first radio or the second radio for use in thespecific location based on the radio weights of the acquiredlocation-based radio information, wherein the radio weights areindicative of a communication quality of corresponding available radioaccess technologies at the specific location.
 10. The system accordingto claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are configured to selectthe first radio access technology or the second radio access technologyfrom the available radio access technologies based on theircorresponding radio weights in the specific location; and wherein theone or more processors are configured to select a radio, from among thefirst radio and the second radio, based on whose radio access technologycorresponds to the selected radio access technology.
 11. The systemaccording to claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to receive, at the specific location, signals of a desiredservice utilizing the selected radio; and wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to measure, at the specific location,signal strengths of the received signals of the desired service over theselected radio.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the one ormore processors are further configured to generate a location-basedradio measurement report for the selected radio utilizing the signalstrength measurements in the specific location, information on theselected radio in the specific location, and information on the specificlocation of the multi-radio mobile device.
 13. The system according toclaim 12, further comprising: a remote location server configured tosend a location update to the multi-radio mobile device.
 14. The systemaccording to claim 13, wherein the one or more processors of themulti-radio mobile device are further configured to communicate thegenerated location-based radio measurement report to the remote locationserver.
 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the remotelocation server is further configured to receive the generatedlocation-based radio measurement report and a plurality oflocation-based radio measurement reports corresponding to the specificlocation of the multi-radio mobile device from other mobile devices. 16.The system according to claim 15, wherein the remote location server isfurther configured to calculate radio quality information of theavailable radio access technologies in the specific location of themulti-radio mobile device utilizing the received generatedlocation-based radio measurement report and the plurality oflocation-based radio measurement reports.
 17. The system according toclaim 16, wherein the remote location server determines the radioweights of the available radio access technologies in the specificlocation based on the calculated radio quality information.
 18. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: scanning a currentlocation for available radio access technologies; measuring signalstrengths of the available radio access technologies; generating areport that includes the available radio access technologies incorrespondence with their signal strengths and their current location;and forwarding the report to a location server for future reference. 19.The method according to claim 8, further comprising calculating radioquality information of the available radio access technologies in thespecific location of the multi-radio mobile device utilizing thegenerated location-based radio measurement report.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, further comprising determining the radio weights of theavailable radio access technologies in the specific location based onthe calculated radio quality information.